The essential episodes of Cold Case
Watch these 15 in order and you've got Cold Case — each pick states its reason.
- 01
Detective Lilly Rush from Philadelphia Homicide reopens a 1976 murder case involving two wealthy families when the former housekeeper, who is now old and dying of cancer, comes forward claiming to have witnessed the murder of a young teenage girl who was found dead near a party hosted by her two wealthy brothers.
- 02
Lilly tries to solve a 2001 case in which a woman and her 6-year-old daughter mysteriously fell from an apartment window. The girl died, and the mother survived but lapsed into a coma. When the woman suddenly wakes up, she remembers little of that night except that someone was out to hurt them.
- 03
The 1999 drowning death of a military academy's swim coach, which was originally ruled as accidental, is reinvestigated after the homicide division receives a note that suggests it was murder. Back at the office, Valens searches for Elisa after she goes missing.
- 04
Lilly tracks a serial killer who eluded her months earlier. The chase begins after nine human skulls are found in the backyard of an abandoned house where a blind woman, whose killer was never found, was murdered in 1972. The woman's 12-year-old son witnessed the crime, and now is believed to be a mass murderer. Making the case more eerie is the fact that the killer knows intimate details about Lilly's life, which he tries to use against her.
- 05
The 1984 murder of an emergency-room doctor who was shot in the chest in an alley is reinvestigated after a former junkie comes forward with new information. The woman claims she saw a white man shoot the victim, but a homeless black man was arrested for the crime after he was found wearing the dead man's shoes. The probe reveals that the doctor had a gambling problem and was broke. Also, Valens takes action when a suspected child molester is spotted in a park.
- 06
Lilly reopens the 2005 murder of a man who was a counselor to troubled teens at a rehab house. The victim was killed by a shotgun blast through his front door just two weeks before he was to testify in court about a murder he witnessed at the rehab house. During the probe, Lilly feels a strange connection to the dead man, and it clouds her judgment in the case to the point of perhaps compromising the investigation.
- 07
Lilly investigates a 1995 shooting spree at a mall in which two teen boys killed 15 people before committing suicide. The case is reopened when a video of the crimes is found and it suggests that a third shooter was involved. Elsewhere, Stillman asks Valens to investigate whether Valens' brother may have been molested by a boxing coach in the 1980s.
- 08
The parents of an autistic boy are gunned down in their car while on their way to get takeout. The 2003 case is reopened when Joseph informs Lilly that the boy, now in a state institution, blurts out a specific number whenever the parents are mentioned. It's soon learned the boy was in the car when the murders occurred, but he's unable to identify the killer. In a more personal matter, Ray tells Lilly he's leaving for California and wants her to come with him.
- 09
Lilly investigates the deaths of a married couple who perished in 1981 when a supposedly accidental gas-leak explosion set their house on fire. The case is reopened when fragments of a bomb are discovered at the house during renovations. The investigation reveals the victims were involved in violent antiwar activities during the Vietnam War. Back at headquarters, Stillman takes care of his 4-year-old grandson.
- 10
Lilly investigates the 1964 murder of a 17-year-old girl who was sent by her parents to a home for unwed mothers, where she gave birth to a girl. The next day the teen was killed. The case is reopened when the victim's daughter comes forward, having just learned that she was adopted and that her biological mother was slain. The probe reveals the girl died in a field near the home after being hit on the head with a blunt object.
- 11
The 1963 death of a teen girl who dressed and acted like a boy is investigated to determine if she committed suicide or was murdered. Meanwhile, the consequences of Internal Affairs' probe of Valens are revealed.
- 12
The sixth season ends with the investigation of a female cadet's 2005 murder at a local military academy, where she was resented for being the first female cadet. The case dredges up unpleasant memories for Lilly, who recalls her own difficult journey to become the first female homicide detective in Philadelphia.
- 13
Lilly and the team attend a colleague's wedding and are persuaded by Jeffries to investigate whether the bride killed her former fiancé two years earlier---just hours after he called off their nuptials.
- 14
The team searches for Vera when he goes missing, and they reinvestigate a 2006 arson-homicide case that Vera obsessed over in recent weeks.
- 15
The seventh-season finale sees Lilly searching for her abducted sister. Meanwhile, Jeffries attempts to solve a murder involving a teenage girl that has haunted him for 17 years.
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